With higher energy prices and the growth and expansion of computational power of data centers, plus the increasing energy demands for higher performance servers, router and switches, microprocessors, CPUs, chipsets and other supporting chips, is resulting in higher energy costs to consumers and corporate enterprises to power their data centers. Servers, routers and switches today require increasing amounts of power to achieve their high processing and computational capabilities. With this increase in performance and power, also comes an increase in the amount of Joule heating at which processors and chips operate, which in turn also increases the amount of heat energy radiated from the component which in turn increases the ambient temperatures within the case of a server, router or switch.
The industry has consistently identified a common set of issues, challenges and solutions regarding data center energy usage. Some of these issues include: rising data center energy costs; cooling challenges of the data center and individual devices; rising power requirements of faster chips and systems; rising overall power consumption of the data center; power requirements of multi-core CPUs; efficiency of performance per watt and thermal design points; environmental standards and regulations; newer CPU and general microchip technologies, smaller dies, lower voltage CPUs and intelligent thermal monitor and control subsystems of a CPU or other chips; virtualization as a means to reduce required power consumption and carbon footprint; DC based systems, distribution and devices such as routers and servers; and, next generation equipment requiring greater operating power levels. All of the relative challenges and approaches are being balanced to assist in reducing a data center's power related operating expenses in an efficient and satisfactory manner.
One attempt to address these power concerns is realized through the recycling of the heat energy produced by the data centers. The concept is based on converting the heat energy into electrical energy. Without much success, several attempts have been made to perfect these types of recycling systems. Some examples are disclosed in U.S. Pat. Nos. 5,419,780 and 6,799,282, and U.S. Application Publications 2003/0093995, 2003/0133265, 200510073150 and 2006/0107987, the contents of each of which are incorporated herein by reference.